Winston Montague and Carol Montague

00:01 I'm Carol Montague. And today's date is Wednesday, December 1st 2021. We're located in Tallahassee, Florida. My husband Winston is with me and

00:17 It's up to him.

00:20 Hey, what we're going to talk about today, is a subject matter pertaining to Airstream travel Airstream, trailer and we are have the Caravan leaders for the Airstream with volunteers. All all the leaders are volunteers. So, what we talk about, is volunteering as our travels, with the Airstream trailer, which we've got roughly, 35 years worth of are striving. We've only done the caravanning for approximately 10 years.

01:02 So,

01:06 We ought to start, basically the little bit about us Winston and I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. Our jobs are taking us to five different states and we ended up in Tallahassee for, and it's been here for 45 years. We do have two sons and 7 grandkids and we became interested in camping are streaming when our sons left and joined the Air Force and all of a sudden, it was just the two of us. What should we do with ourselves for the rest of our lives? And we wanted to do something that both of us could do and enjoy.

01:50 And we can Campton.

01:53 Intents and pop-ups is a family, so that kind of proved our interest. Whenever I saw an ad in the paper for an Airstream, camper. It was at least 25 years old. It was in excellent condition for the Aged and Winston was able to people were for living in it. And

02:23 Okay. So what they were doing is as others, we found out that done. They bought the older trailer, they lived in it while they build a house and the people before that had bought it to live in it while they built the house, so you can get something out of her. In some people do do full time in their strength, we chose not to. But anyway, we didn't really start getting really active in the Airstream travel until he retired but need a salary employer appreciated us coming to work, but nevertheless, we really started in 2000.

03:04 Tell 10, reactivated. It has all the other years we had. Watch, what people did, we kind of learned some of the opportunities that were available as a leader and where they went and all the wonderful things that were available. So it was Way Beyond even our imagination. But we went all around the United States, national parks and Canada other provinces and what down into Baja, Mexico. So, we traveled extensively, what shall we decided? We've done. 40. Caravans.

03:47 And we've let our number of them. We've been assisted leave here for a number of them and we can spend good old participants, a lot of them. So it's been an awesome experience to be able to do and I'm very economically, is a caravan leader with volunteers. We do not get paid. We get reimbursed for gas and some some of the other expenditures which is built into the price that the people pay to go on this trip show itself, quite a very and lifestyle to a lift.

04:27 We are joined the club.

04:30 Which is called wbac for Wally, Byam Airstream Club. Pretty soon after we had purchased that first little trailer and it provides a number of means of getting together with others who have the same campers. And with there is a section within the club. It's called the Caravan section and this Caravan section.

05:03 Goes has a usually, an option of 20 Caravans a year. They

05:13 The Caravans typically have anywhere from 20 to 30.

05:23 36 Riggs, it will go. Usually there will be couples.

05:30 In there and that means it l o. L is responsible for Mount 65 people. The club provides some training for someone who wants to be a leader. Winston we

05:50 Did the video?

05:53 To start the training so that people could learn what what they wanted to do if they wanted to delete a caravan, we are.

06:05 Really thoroughly enjoyed seeing that part of it. And the as in the training.

06:14 They were giving a person was given an option of learning about planning the Caravan itself of running the Caravan and also how to do that finances which seems to be mine and quite often. There are over 6,000 members in the club. They can. Each person can say, hey I want to go on that Caravan. And if there's room, then they will pay what call the kitty fee.

06:48 And the kitty fee will cover every night of camping that the group has. It will cover meals, that are for the group that will cover any activities. That leader decides. The leader is ultimately responsible for deciding where the Caravans going. They make all the arrangements. They it is up to them how the Caravan runs so Winston

07:22 Well, also the later said she was feeding into we plan all the events. We also has a meals, most of the bills in which the Caravan pays for this involve, a plan by the leaders, and we try not to care it, to any Extreme as far as going out to eat every day, and that's her thing. So their product Lee also people get a day off, periodically in order to do anything. They want to do baby. Go back to some of the same Events. Maybe go hiking baby, sleep at all today.

08:02 And I were they wished to to do it. So it's a good variation in there and the way we hurt people today, just to have an assistant leader, go with you which is really a backup and it makes it is shopify's. The Caravan leadership responsibilities and that's work. Very nicely. So we just getting better.

08:33 But,

08:35 The primary one of the primary big Caravans that we did and we did it for. I think we decided 76, Southwest Adventure Caravan, and it was wonderful. That wasn't a year that we land that I didn't enjoy going on with that Caravan. As we set it up with the vendors. We got to know they haven't their families and that even made it even more personalized and great and wonderful people that were with us. Every year. There's a new group so that gives you an idea here and respect.

09:17 Have the Southwest. This had so many interesting places to go and people said, back to us, then Billy. It was on their dream sheet of coming to that area, which made it even nicer. That was really, are. We Ward? I reward as a later where the people and so. But anyway,

09:46 Southwest Adventure covered for different states. We were in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona, and lasted about 50 days. We normally who have 32 or these meaning that we had about 65 people. And most of these people were retired and this was their dream. So we let it 466 years, six different years and the first two years were in the spring and we did a number of things at once. Then I'm trying to think of the highlights and I guess the first one in the spring was, what was called the corndance in which, we were able to go to a Pueblo, that had a dance that the Indians did for that Pueblo.

10:42 And they danced all day long if they're unbelievable. They had danced in the same spot. So I think about it the site for a thousand years that they actually had it the shape of a cup by beating the ground out. So this is a big cup and they're down into the cup and you're sitting around and chairs around the outside and went on all day long. There was not a single child of theirs that was crying or unhappy. They were there. And even when it got cold we have one day. It was just really freezing cold. It was even snowing to be able to demonstrate.

11:31 And I want a child crying. It was all just like it did hundreds of years ago. So I give you an idea that you came to this one. And because they're original lady, saw the start of the Southwest was actually the principal for the Indian for the Navajo, Indian Nation at least was an earth Tremor, and he started this Caravan. So I'll give you an idea of what fit into it.

12:03 Sometimes if you are, when it became lunch time, the Indians would all bring out food and put it in front of the Kiawah, which is there basically like a church and all of us were invited to go up and partake. If we were really lucky, then we would be invited into an Indian home and we get to eat with him. These are the kind of things that is a caravan leader you trying to to find and discover we switched and started running it in the spring in Maine in the fall because the Albuquerque in Albuquerque is something called the Balloon Fiesta.

12:48 And that Balloon Fiesta has over 600 balloons that go up and we were permitted to Camp right next to where they were. So every morning about 6, you'd get it up and the the balloons would be ready to go and they take off and every once in awhile. They get real close to the trailer, but it was just awesome. The second Caravan that we'd LED. We started and no one had ever run one. Quite like, it was calling Georgia, plantations, it consisted of six stops and 24 people because it's one of the campgrounds. That's how many sites there were. So we limited it to 24 Riggs, and it was only 24 days.

13:45 We did a lot of things. People got to see, go to see Jimmy Carter doing his Sunday school lesson. They got to go see play in Colquitt. Georgia called swamp gravy. They visited an old country store close to here Call Bradley's. They just had lots of fun things that they got to see. That is one of the people who was from Atlanta told me, she says, well, we're going on at, but we know every place we've been everywhere, in Georgia, wasn't long. And she came up to me and said, now, I have seen parts of Georgia that I never knew existed. So we were able to show people things that they had not

14:33 I was trying to think of different Caravans that we've been on and maybe Winston if I say your Caravan, why don't you say a highlight of it? The Louisiana Cajun Crawfish crawfish are eating crawfish, but you don't have to eat them all raw either. So anyway, so you learn how to eat crawfish and they're very much like shrimp special fried shrimp, fried crawfish, but that's one of the more fun. We went to the processing farms and which they gather the Crawfish.

15:20 Footshop, they grew really growing along with the rice patties. And so they have all called cages the baskets that are in the water that collect the Crawfish, but it was awesome. They really was. And we learned about the Cajun people.

15:41 Were they originally came from the food's the hospitality and each each Caravan the way I explained. It was that it was like taking a short course, in a college. And what you learned about all these various parts of the subject matters of the. Are you going to? That's what we did with the southwest and course. It was brought a bigger and variances.

16:08 So how about the fly and drive to Alaska? Alaska, Tallahassee? Florida is 6000 miles. Well that takes about a month to drive to Fairbanks and Anchorage and all. So you got a month to drive there. You got a month to drive back and they spend the month. So, that was three months. Well, a lot of this that they really want to spend three months.

16:42 So I had a friend it is which is the way a lot of care with a dog would sit around and talk and they said, why don't we fly up there and rent a small load of off The Cruise America type motorhome and we see everything they saw. And we can do that in 3 weeks.

17:05 And then we fly home and it won't cost any more and matter fact, it'll be cheaper. So we decided we got off of all of Canada and the United States. So we figured we had the character part taken care of. So, the fly Drive really worked out. Well, it'll last a few years then again, that you need to think about. Caravans, even though it may be done about this leader for several years.

17:30 If a spot picked up another later, somebody else were started. Again, several years later. And that's in the process of the current as we speak.

17:40 So if I drive to Alaska, turned out, wonderful weeks, early and Jordan sauce, but we still got she's got 36 Caravans down here in 20 or whatever year before the pad debit. So what else? You got to? Go to Mexico, City, Mexico? Well, there was a care of that at the time that went to the Baja, that little finger that runs down there.

18:14 And the Baja. It took a month to go down.

18:20 All the way to Cabo San Lucas, Lucas Lucas the people, the area at all was unbelievable there. Mexican food is a little different from our Mexican food. It's not as hot as you believe that and the food was great, people were unique.

18:46 Hey, I know we went out example. We went to a school.

18:51 How they ran their schools and the parents came out with with food.

18:59 We had a pretty good-sized. We all variations of Mexican food and that was a wonderful experience because what we draw our conclusions from about an area and what really goes on. A lot of times is different.

19:15 So it was an eighth trip. He really was, I decided everything in Mexico That Grew with some form of practice, for example, so but

19:26 So we went on to more.

19:30 It seems like whenever we go on these, Caravans typically, somebody will say, what's your favorite Caravan, particularly, when they realize how many we have been on and my answer is usually the one I'm on right now because they are off so different. They can't be compared one that many people thoroughly enjoyed is a polar bear and that was up into Churchill, Canada.

20:01 Ended up arriving in a blizzard and caught a train from Thompson to Churchill, trying to ride the buggies out, on the tundra, to see, the polar bears. Only problem was the polar bears were smart enough to know, they should hide because it was cold. So we saw what we think was three bears, but it maybe was only one so, but we thoroughly just got to see a different part of Canada than most people do. Another set of continuation. Caravans was a civil war. It was 30 days for three different years, one month a year.

20:51 And the first it was gone. Civil War 1 Civil War and Civil War 3. One was along the western area of where the war was fought at Natchez B Vicksburg that area. The next year. It was primarily Georgia, and that area. And the final year it was Virginia, but we really learned a lot about the Civil War about the springtime in Kentucky, Wednesday.

21:26 Current time in Kentucky.

21:28 Or if you love horses, you're really in heaven, but learning about all the different kinds of race horses that they have out there and actually going to to the race itself, which is the one heck of a vet and they have a red red hat day and which all the ladies were Red Hats. So everybody's in the process, make it up there. A version with red hat for an example, but we were right there at the corner sitting here, watching it, but it was most fascinating and the campground they have up there. I think it's run by the state.

22:11 What is quite large? The Kentucky Horse Park and talked about all the different breeds that were there? But we did more than just look at horses, needless to say, but we enjoyed the surrounding again of the people.

22:38 But what are you, what? What what a lifestyle, we have lived doing this as we age. We I left a little more but

22:52 We've been on a number of Caravans into Canada. Probably our favorite might be the Viking. It's starts in New Brunswick province of New Brunswick. We have been in I believe it's eight of the nine, provinces it began that one particular, one begins a New Brunswick, goes into Nova Scotia. And then you catch a ferry that lasts about six hours and you go to Newfoundland. That is a area.

23:31 It is just the people there.

23:35 Or like we were fifty years ago. Their doors are always open. They've talked just a little bit different. Do you have to get your ears attuned? And there's one main road, you have to be careful of the elk. They are the Moose. They may be in the road and the I guess the most interesting thing that happened to us is someone told us that Shirley Montague was singing. So we went to hear and so evidently, she's a long-lost far distant relative that we got to hear. She seems writes and sings folklore songs of the of the area

24:24 She had a special courses. She was teaching the kids who were very smart from Ontario. She invited us to come and join her for that. So, that was a special treat.

24:39 We've also been on the maple leaf.

24:43 And the yellow head, which are more in the southern Mommy. I'm sorry on the western section of Canada there. We got to see the Calgary Stampede. We visited Banff.

24:58 We saw lots of the The Butchart Gardens in Victoria.

25:05 Just swipes that that you cannot.

25:09 Imagine and the number of animals that we've got to see, we have pictures of moose coming up to a camper, and looking trying to see inside, Winston has his own story about the Moose in Alaska.

25:30 My Blues experience, you know, a lot of times, you two things for sure. Wish I could see a moose.

25:37 And all that, I'd let me put that out as a warning to all of you that all these wild animals are wild animals do not approach them. Do not go up to try to pass up. This is not Disney World. But anyway, that I had that same wish for babies.

26:02 People have gathered around.

26:05 And somebody is size with a camera, the try to get a close-up.

26:10 So they crawl, d.c. Evergreen tree to be able to get a snapshot.

26:16 For the babies. See this person and it scares them and they go running. Well, they went running by me.

26:26 Well, mother looks up. So what happened?

26:29 Too. Scared my babies.

26:32 Or shoot assumed. It was me since when she looked that's why she saw.

26:37 She was not very happy.

26:40 And I was walking over to see the the other leader.

26:44 And so I see the baby moose run by me.

26:50 Well, she decides to walk over and check me out since I quote, quote scared her babies.

26:58 And I figured I was in trouble because there are some movies out there that

27:04 Show you what mothers and so forth can do to you and their mess your day up.

27:11 By the way, I got up. I'm on some saplings and we're growing very close together. And I Stood Still, she came over to see me.

27:21 She stuck her head part of the way through the Sabbath, but they were so close together. She couldn't get her body toward me.

27:29 She looked at me with her, great big eyes while it may have been bigger because I was Luna scared at that point.

27:38 And so this one on for a while. She never forget to me cuz I move as she moved around the sap of trees.

27:47 But,

27:48 Horsley, I survived the event.

27:52 I learned a lot. Maybe learn more than I wanted to.

27:56 But not that b word to the wise. If you coming encounter with a moose.

28:03 So be nice the Moose to stay away from

28:08 So, but it was a wonderful trip. I really was. And I truly got my opportunity to see the moose and no, I did not take a picture. I was too scared to take a picture Carol. Another Caravan that we went on was the landmarks West and it covered.

28:27 Many of the national parks in as we were going, beginning in Missouri, and we travelled across, and saw the Tetons and Yellowstone, Glacier and ended up in Oregon. We stopped in Washington state and saw many number of the national parks there, Olympia, and others. So we visited many national parks. When we're on the Southwest, we in Utah, we go to the Arches, we go to Capitol Reef, we go to Brian Canyon, we go to cyan. So, of course, we go to the north rim of the Grand Canyon, which is just stunning. We arrived one time.

29:25 And it snowed the next morning. We got up and the roads were still passable that they were warm enough. So the snow wasn't home. But to see all the air streams with the snow around. Them was a really treat. Another Caravan that we went to completely different was going to, Texas.

29:46 What would you remember most about Texas? Or we went to an animal farm and that's probably not till that, just us. When I say an animal farm, but it was the farm. They had only wild animals, but it was one outstanding animal.

30:06 I was so impressed and it was just giraffe. Other lady conducting, the tour. She was around these animals all the time, and they had named the carafe.

30:19 And they were the best of buddies that I would driving a school bus. Okay, around all throughout this area seeing the different animals and talkin about,

30:28 As a draft comes over to see her.

30:32 Sticks her head in the window by the driver.

30:36 To say, hello.

30:39 But,

30:40 The seeing the relationship at all between the animals and a human being was most amazing.

30:49 But again, it's an example, all the wonderful things you get to experience as you travel.

30:56 And they doing these variations of Caravans. It started at the very beginning of the Mississippi River and we followed it all the way down to Memphis and watched it. Get bigger. We saw the locks go along to raise and lower the water. We visited a number of unique place is one of my favorites was the John Deere factory. Never had any idea of what all went into building? Those big old machines.

31:40 We also went on something called the south coast East Coast spectacular, that one started in Rhode Island and went straight down the coast. We saw Wild Horses. We went to the Wilmington. North Carolina, went to Charleston went to Hilton. Head went to Jekyll Island. So we covered a lot of the coastline there. I know, I think two years after we went the hurricane.

32:16 Change the way that they had to go and but they still went. So always kind of fun.

32:24 Then we also went on one called, skipping across Michigan, and it was a smaller care of and those two went through Michigan and one of them. The first, the second one to origin Shores was the Upper Peninsula. It was just an area that I had never been in which all pictured rocks went on a boat. So we could see that and saw the great lakes and against all locks up there.

33:07 We've also been on one called off and around, and neither Winston, or I golf, but we sure did have fun trying. So, it's lots of experiences that you can get a taste of. I think the, another one would be signor by nor'-east covering the East and going in and out in.

33:30 What's the island?

33:36 In New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and

33:40 And then I'll end up there.

33:42 Lighthouse, family saltlight houses just spectacular things that has made our life interesting as after we retired are streaming. Definitely is a way of life and kind of gets in your system, and you keep wanting to know. Our neighbors, ask is quite often when I see the Airstream coming, or going a saying, saying, asking us, where you going now and, are you coming or have you been? So, it has expanded my horizons? I think we've seen sights. That one could never sit d.c. Sitting on the front porch rocking on the rocking chair or even watching TV. So we've had fun with met people.

34:35 And have friends across the US, Canada and talk with over the phone, keep up with. So, we just finished and

34:50 One last care of and recently called show me the Ozarks. And we learned a lot about the Ozark area, the northern part of Arkansas or part of Missouri were signed up for two next year. One to go, Rollin to The Big Easy, very short Caravan going to New Orleans and then one called watch it made where she has 17 tours of building and from Jelly Bellies to Wilson. Footballs to watching are streams made Winston. Can you add anything to it every year with people that are coming up with new Caravans, and

35:38 And don't forget these laters go out there and go to all the restaurants. They're going to take the people on, they go to all these events we've research on, we can cover a knowledgeable. And one of the main things that we find is as we continue to do this, you're up here. If it's the same Caravan is that the locals will tell you what have you been to this in this. So you change your your travels were about, includes it. So you learned as much of other people and local people of inertia places to go. So it never stops giving. So as long as we were able to go,

36:18 Then crawl, we will continue to do it because it brings a lot of interested faster than parks to our lives that we can share with you.